Intel to deliver new UMPC chips by year end

New reference design will probably appear too

UMPCs have yet to set the world alight - including the latest Q1 Ultra from Samsung

Intel thinks it will hit its own deadline to deliver a new family of ultra-mobile chips by the end of 2007. The statement came at a dealer conference this week, according to News.com .

The new silicon, codenamed Steeley, will almost certainly be based on Intel's new 45-nanometer process to guarantee greater efficiency. Intel is building or converting a rush of fabs to the 45-nanometer process as it seeks to gain even more production and energy efficiency from its product lines.

The new development is also likely to bring the prices of ultra mobile PCs (UMPCs) down. Currently the devices ship with ultra low voltage (ULV) variants of the Core processor series.

Steeley is likely to appear first in a reference design codenamed McCaslin by the end of the year. That given, we'd bet the first serious attempts at marketable Steeley-based UMPCs will appear at CES 2008.